Former X-Men goaltender Danny Battochio was recently named the Central Hockey League (CHL) Rookie of the Year. Battochio played this past season with the Rapid City Rush out of South Dakota. Earlier this seaosn he earned a spot playing in the CHL all-star game. Battochio is a 2009 StFX graduate and backstopped the X-Men for three seasons. He earned AUS all-star honors while in his final year at StFX and was the teams' co-MVP. The official release from the Central Hockey League follows.

Rapid City’s Danny Battochio Named CHL Rookie of the Year

The Central Hockey League (CHL) announced today that Rapid City goaltender Danny Battochio has been selected the recipient of the 2009-10 Central Hockey League Rookie of the Year award following balloting among CHL head coaches, communication’s departments and selected media members in CHL markets.  The Rookie of the Year award is ‘presented annually to the Central Hockey League player adjudged to be the most proficient in his first year of professional competition.’

Battochio was selected on 22 of the 52 ballots submitted, finishing ahead of Corpus Christi’s Ryan Garbutt who received 15 votes.  Battochio was named the goaltender of the CHL All-Rookie Team earlier in the week.

The Lively, Ontario native has been close to unbeatable all season carrying a 28-5-3 record with a 2.57 goals against average and a .918 save percentage with two shutouts to his credit.  His win total ranks second in the CHL, his GAA is third and his save percentage is tied for fourth in the league.  The former Saint Francis Xavier University star has allowed two goals or fewer in 23 of his 41 games played and has the Rush at the top of the Northern Conference with a 43-13-6 record. 

The 5-10, 180-pound goaltender started the season with the Peoria Rivermen of the American Hockey League (AHL) and struggled to win upon his assignment to Rapid City going 3-3-1 in his first seven professional games but the winning came often afterwards as he posted 12 straight wins between November 25 and January 19 and has lost just two regular season games since November 20. 

Other accolades received by Battochio this season include being named the Oakley CHL Goaltender of the Week on January 18 and winning the Sher-Wood/TPS CHL Goaltender of the Month for January (posted a 7-1-0 record with a .922 save percentage this month).